From time immemorial, the education of the children in a particular society has been paramount in the minds of the parents and the elders of the society. Do to the increasing complexity of our society, educators have long spent their time devising various methods and devices for better educating our children at an earlier and earlier age. This increasing complexity in our day and age is due in part to the development of new technologies, such as printed circuit boards, microprocessors and voice synthesizers used in almost every facet of our daily lives. Since virtually every educator believes that reading is the most important skill to be developed by a child, these educators have endeavored to utilize modern day technology to interest the child in reading as well as to develop the appropriate skills at a relatively early age.
One of the first toys utilized by pre-school children to enhance visual as well as manipulative skills is a set of blocks. These blocks have been embossed with various indicia used to interest and stimulate the child. Many of these blocks include a set of alphabet letters which children can use to familiarize themselves with the shape and formation of each letter. Alternatively, these blocks could be used to formulate rudimentary words. While these types of blocks have been utilized to stimulate the children""s visual skills, these blocks would provide no benefit relating to the audio skills needed to develop a child""s reading ability. While the child can recognize various letters utilized in these types of blocks, he or she various letters utilized in these types of blocks, he or she would have no clue as to the sound of the individual letters of the alphabet based solely upon utilizing this set of blocks.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,780, issued to Cogliano, addresses this problem by providing the child with one or more series of blocks having indicia on at least one side. A capacitive or pressure switch is used to active a voice synthesizer provided in the interior of the block. The synthesizer would be connected to a speaker to produce a sound corresponding to the indicia provided on the surface of the block. While it has been established that this block would aid in the ability of a child to associate the shape of one of the letters with its sound, this patent could not be utilized to assist the child in learning where in the alphabet a particular letter is to be placed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,613, issued to Harrison, describes a musical block including a cube having six faces and an actuator associated with each of the faces. Based upon an applique provided on each of the faces, the sound or musical tune would be played once the associated actuator is engaged.
However, as was true with respect to the Cogliano patent, this musical block would not allow a child to learn a proper alphanumeric sequence. The problem of teaching a child a proper alphanumeric or color sequence has been addressed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,846,692, issued to Delcambre; U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,920, issued to Kaufmann; as well as an article appearing on page 151 of volume 149 of Popular Science magazine.
The patent to Kaufmann describes an educational toy for teaching alphanumeric sequences and is provided with a plurality of body members and an irregular, generally cylindrical configuration. Each of these body members 15-20 includes a device for cooperating with a guide means in a manner in which each of the body members rotates about an axis 13 of a support member in a first direction. These body parts are provided with buttons 33-37 having various indicia thereon. For example, each button could be assigned a separate number xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9c2xe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9c3xe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9c4xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9c5xe2x80x9d or particular letters, such as xe2x80x9cAxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cBxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cCxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cDxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cExe2x80x9d Therefore, if the child would properly construct the educational toy, the numbers or the letters would be in the proper sequence.
The patent to Delcambre is also directed to an educational children""s toy for teaching proper numeric, alphabetic or color sequences. A toy stand is provided with a plurality of vertical shafts 15. Each of the vertical shafts has a number, color or letter associated therewith. A plurality of blocks is associated with the children""s toy. If these blocks are not put into the vertical shafts 15 in the proper sequence, they will fall to the bottom of the toy. In this manner, a proper alphanumeric sequence can be learned.
The Popular Science article contains a number of blocks, each having indicia associated therewith. With the exception of the first block in any sequence, each of the blocks is provided with both a joint member as well as a receiving device. Each of the joints would fit into only one of the receiving devices. Therefore, once the blocks are properly attached to one another, an alphanumeric sequence can be learned.
Although the prior art does show various devices designed to teach a child different types of sequences, the prior art does not combine the teaching of a sequence with the sound associated to each element in the sequence.
The present invention is directed to an innovative educational toy designed to appeal to pre-school age children. A plush, stuffed, elongated insect in the character of a caterpillar, a centipede or any other long, contoured, segmented insect could be utilized. Additionally, the toy could take the form of any appropriate animal. Each segment of the animal body, or insect""s body, is provided with indicia which would be related to other indicium provided on other portions of the body. A microprocessor as well as a voice synthesizer would be provided within the animal body or the insect""s body. The voice synthesizer would produce various audible outputs responsive to the depression of various input switches provided or associated with each segment of the animal""s or insect""s body. Additionally, the insect""s head or the animal""s head and mouth would be designed to mechanically open and sing, or otherwise verbalize the audio response.